Sykes defends actions at Tuesday's DSS meeting

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) - People are still talking about Tuesday's DSS meeting where tempers ran high when the chairman of the county DSS board had a fellow board member (and a newspaper reporter) escorted from the room.

Wednesday, Brunswick County Commissioner and DSS board chairman Charles Warren told WECT that for months, DSS board member Patricia Sykes has been asking for his resignation from the board, and Sykes admitted it was true.

Warren claims that since Sykes was appointed to the board in July, she's been disruptive to the DSS board.

Warren and Sykes argued at a meeting Tuesday after Sykes says she questioned Warren for approving the meeting agenda and going directly into trying to vote on an attorney.

"I wasn't surprised about him coming back at me," said Sykes. "But then, I was surprised when he wanted me arrested."

But after Warren ordered Chief Deputy Charles Miller to arrest Sykes for disorderly conduct, Miller did not do it.

"The reason I didn't arrest Mrs. Sykes was because I did not feel she violated any laws to be arrested for," said Miller.

According to Warren, Sykes has a tea party agenda against him. However, Sykes disagrees.

"It's not a tea party agenda," said Skyes. "It's basically me as a member of DSS board trying to do what I think is right for DSS."

Warren also said that he would not be surprised if Sykes ran against him for county commissioner.

She says she's not going to run, but her brother-in-law is.

Commissioners Marty Cooke and Bill Sue said that they're going to look into the legality of Tuesday's events.

Other commissioners have been at odds with Warren for his service on the DSS board for months. In April, commissioners voted to censure Warren for refusing to step down from his role on the DSS board.

Last year, commissioners voted on a code of conduct to prevent commissioners from serving on multiple boards.

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File). FILE - In this May 22, 2018 file photo, actor Morgan Freeman attends the 2018 PEN Literary Gala in New York. Freeman is apologizing to anyone who may have felt “uncomfortable or disrespected” by his behavior....

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Actor Morgan Freeman has apologized for making anyone feel uneasy, in the wake of a CNN report in which multiple women accused him of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.More >>